Just Let Go
by Lunchbox Vanity
Summary: Brennan tries to escape her emotions, but can't seem to elude them. Booth brings her back down to Earth. One-shot. Set early in S4, kind-of-spoilers for PitH.


**Just a little one-shot to help me get back into my groove. A little piece of me is peppered in with Brennan here, as she reminds me so much of myself. I'd like to thank The Fray for being so wonderfully inspirational, even though I doubt that they will ever read this. Also, shout out to my bestest bestie Tiff! Love ya buddy!  
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**Reviews are very welcome. ^_^**

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It was where she always went.

Whenever she felt lost, lonely, and afraid. Whenever she felt too guilty to burden others with her troubles, she would visit the same park, sit on the same bench, and think the same thoughts. She would think about her past, and where it had brought her. She thought of all the times she had been abandoned, of all of the people who had left her watching after them, not knowing if she would ever see them again. It shouldn't have bothered her, after all that time, and after going through it so often a person would think that one would become immune to the hurt.

But it still stung all the same.

The night was cold, and though the sky was darkened, a sliver of pinkish light could still be seen along the horizon. A chilling breeze buffeted her cheeks, so she blinked her eyes a few extra times and allowed herself to think that the frequent gusts were the reason why her eyes were watering. Fiery leaves fell to the now-dull grass, bringing back more memories of her childhood. Tempe smiled slightly, recalling one particular Autumn in which she and her brother had cannon-balled into piles of raked leaves. This certain image caused a feeling of warmth to flood her limbs; it was the kind of warmth she wasn't used to welcoming. The word _family_ came to the forefront of her mind, and the frigid air seemed to suddenly slice through her coat. There were times that she thought those early years were the sole providers of all of her fond memories, but she knew that that was not true.

There had been plenty of great things that had happened over the past few years, albeit some bad things preceded them, however the good almost always managed to outweigh the bad.

_Almost_.

Almost instantly, her thoughts snapped to her former student, and a rogue tear stained her cheek. She cursed herself for crying, for being weak. Zack was an adult, and he had made the decision on his own. She was not his mother, she was not responsible for his actions, and she _knew_ that she should be through with dwelling on that nightmare. So why, then, did she still feel so awful about the whole ordeal? He had managed to operate under her own nose, her own student, her friend! Why couldn't she, _didn't_ she, do anything to stop it?

Tempe was horrified to feel a sob shake her frame. She tried to force it back down, to box it away for later. She knew it would force itself back out another time, but she just didn't have the energy to deal with it now. So she curved her arms, embracing herself. Absently, she wished that her partner was here- he always knew just what to say to make her feel better. _He_ knew her better than she knew herself. But Booth wasn't here. She couldn't even call him if she wanted to, she'd left her Blackberry back in her flat. When the overwhelming surge of emotion had come, she bundled up as quickly as she could and headed out, barely remembering to lock the door behind her. Angela was supposed to call her at seven-thirty, and it had to be well past eight by now. Would her friend be worried? She hoped not.

Another breeze whipped through the park, causing her to curl up ever so slightly. Running a hand through her hair, she willed her legs to move, but they refused. With a sigh, she covered her face with her gloved fingers, trying to lose herself in the sounds of her surroundings. She had been succeeding, and so she nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand settled on her shoulder.

"Hey." Said a familiar voice. Tempe smiled at her friend.

"Hi." She watched him sit beside her, feeling much safer now that he had found her. In the back of her mind, she wondered howhe had found her, but she reminded herself that this was _Booth_. It would have been strange had he _not_ found her.

"Angela called me." He explained, as though he had read her thoughts. "Said you weren't picking up your phone."

"I just needed some air." Brennan cringed at the softness of her own voice.

Her partner nodded, then clasped his hands together. She watched him for a moment, then inched a little closer. The crisp air seemed to dissolve around the two of them now that Booth had arrived. He opened his mouth as if he was about to speak, then closed it. They sat in silence until he decided that he would need to initiate if he was to get anything out of her.

"You know, Bones, if you need to talk, I'm always here." _Always._

A wistful smile touched her lips for just a second. "I know, Booth."

On instinct, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side. Brennan leaned into him, squeezing his arm in silent thanks. Softly, her partner whispered, "You're not alone anymore."

So she let herself cry.

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